Culminating years of effort and perseverance by Colorado’s Serbian community—and more than a century after Serbs first settled along Colorado’s Front Range—St. John the Baptist Serbian Orthodox Church in Lakewood celebrated its much-awaited Great Consecration on Sept. 10, 2016.

In a rite of Consecration and Divine Liturgy led by His Grace Bishop Dr. Maxim of the Western American Diocese and His Grace Bishop Longin of the Midwestern American Diocese, St. John the Baptist community was officially recognized as the first Serbian Orthodox Church ever to serve Colorado. Serving clergy from other parts of our diocese as well as other jurisdictions were: V. Rev. Dragomir Tuba Episcopal Dean from Phoenix AZ, V. Rev. Boris Henderson ROCOR from Denver, V. Rev. Sasa Petrovic from Omaha NE, Rev. Fr. Radovan Petrovic parish priest, Rev. Milan Dragovic from Salt Lake City UT, Rev. Milan Unkovic from Las Vegas NV, Deacon Vladan Radovanovic and Prizren seminarians Nikola and Strahinja.

This year marks 1100 years since the blessed repose of Saint Clement of Ohrid the Miracleworker, who died on 27 July 916.

The central celebration of the 1100th anniversary was held in the stauropegial monastery of Saint John Chrysostom in Nizepolje, Bitolj, Macedonia, on October 1st and 2nd, 2016. On the Sunday of October 2nd, the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy was officiated by His Beatitude Jovan, Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje. The Archbishop was concelebrated by Bishop Pahomije of Vranje, Metropolitan George of Citrus and Katerine, Bishop Ilarion of Timok, Bishop Joakim of Polog and Kumanovo and Locum Tenens of Debar-Kicevo, Bishop Marko of Bregalnica and Locum Tenens of Bitola, and by Bishop David of Stobi and Locum Tenens of Strumica, as well as by many priests from some local Orthodox Churches. Some monks and representatives of Athonite monastery of Chilandar attended.

On behalf of our Saint Sava Cathedral, we invite you to join us at The Hierarchical Divine Liturgy this coming Sunday, October 2, 2016 in Madison Square Park.

The Divine Liturgy will commence at 10:00 a.m., with His Grace our new Bishop Irinej presiding. The best location to enter the Park is either at 24th Street and Madison Avenue or 24th Street and Broadway and look for a big white tent.

His Beatitude Patriarch Teophilos III of Jerusalem and All Palestine visited the Serbian capital on the Sunday of the 25th of September 2016, following the consecration of the church of Saint John Vladimir in Bar, Montenegro.

His Beatitude Patriarch Teophilos III was welcomed at the Saint Sava Cathedral by the clergy of this Cathedral headed by Dean protopresbyter-staurophor Dr. Vladimir Vukasinovic and in the presence of a multitude of believers. After the solemn doxology, His Beatitude was greeted on behalf of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej by the principal of the church, His Grace Bishop Arsenije of Toplica.

Patriarch Teophilos of Jerusalem consecrated the Cathedral church of Saint John Vladimir in Bar, Montenegro, and celebrated the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy. - A huge number of faithful were present on this historical day, the 25th of September, 2016.

His Beatitude Patriarch Teophilos III of Jerusalem and All Palestine consecrated the Cathedral church of Saint John Vladimir in Bar, Montenegro, with the concelebration of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania, His Beatitude Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan and representatives of all Local Orthodox Churches. At the plateau in front of the church there were more than thousand Orthodox believers who were prayerfully present at the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy.

In presence of Patriarch of Jerusalem and All Palestine Teophilos III, Serbian Patriarch Irinej, Archbishop Anastasios of Albania, representatives of all Local Orthodox Churches, other Christian confessions, Islamic Community, representatives of the diplomatic corps, political and cultural life and many thousands of Orthodox believers, a solemn academy was held at the plateau of the Cathedral church of Saint John Vladimir in Bar, on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the repose of the saint, in the evening on 24 September 2016.

The solemn lecture was held by the Vicar Bishop of Metropolitan of Montenegro, His Grace Kirill of Dioclea.